Perfect State

I read this novella as part of the Hugo finalist packet.

Perfect State was a breezy joy to read, a novella that is both serious and whimsical as a fantasy realm emperor is forced to go on a date by the god-like Wode who demand that he procreate. The date, of course, does not goes as planned. The world-building in the short span of the novella is impressive. There are touches of scifi, as Kairominas is aware he's a brain in a jar, acting out a computer simulation as he rules his own set realm. At the start, I thought he was a despot--after all, he's a centuries-old emperor and wizard with absolute control of his realm--but he's really a good sort who refuses to see the NPCs around him as less than human. This is in contrast to his show more nemesis, who is very keen to sic a new robot on him, and break all the rules in the process.

I really need to read more of Sanderson's work. I really enjoyed his other Hugo-nominated novella a few years ago, too. show less

This is some of Sanderson's absolute best short-form work to date, second in my mind only to The Emperor's Soul. In it he explores the idea of a virtual world that most of us were first introduced to by The Matrix, but instead of retreading old ground he finds his own niche to fill and ideas to ponder.

What if, instead of machines maliciously using us for energy ala The Matrix we were kept in virtual reality by other humans to maximize our happiness and minimize the amount of space and resources our existence required?

What if we were all rulers of our own simulated worlds, challenged just enough in just the right way to make us feel like our accomplishments were actually earned instead of destined by the programming that's designed to show more keep us happy? What if, once we came of age, we were informed of the true nature of our reality and nudged by a vague outside force to interact with other real people in "border states" that exist between each individual's tailored world?

What if a man who had mostly avoided that interaction for over a century was suddenly forced to go on a date with another real person in one of these border states where the power and influence he's used to having are almost entirely stripped away and he has to face and overcome real danger based on his own merits?

These are the heavy and heady themes that make this story as impactful a journey as the core theme of The Emprorer's Soul (how small actions can change a man over time) did for that book. I can't recommend this enough. If you've ever loved a Sanderson book, you will love this, and If you're looking to give Sanderson a shot but you're afraid of the 700-page tomes he normally writes, this is a fantastic entry point. show less

Emperor Kairominas is nearly a god, the master of his realm, nearly unchallenged and...his masters are demanding that he procreate. To do so, he'll have to condescend to leave his realm to find an equal, but that equal may be far more than he expects.

I much enjoy Sanderson's tomes, er, novels, but I've come to appreciate his abilities in shorter formats, as well. The Emperor's Soul is one of my favorite stories out of his growing volume of work, and it augured that Brandon has talent even when working in a shorter medium and with a much abridged cast.

I don't want to give away too much about Perfect State since to tell too much would spoil the fun of the story. The Goodreads/Amazon summaries finish by questioning what happens when the show more "most important man in the world is forced to have dinner with the most important woman in the world?" It's accurate, but a bit of a red herring. The more relevant question, and why I bump this up from a three to a four, is more about what happens when technology allows us to retreat to our own echo chambers, self-created universes, and cultures? And what might happen if we can transcend those self-created obstacles?

We don't all have a deus ex machina to force us to grow (or do we?), but Sanderson's tale deftly takes the trope and uses it so plainly and obviously as to transcend it.

It's a fun, quick, and even insightful read, and it reflects Sanderson's ongoing growth and development as a writer. show less

The concept reminded me of Otherland by Tad Williams.

The world is very interesting, as usual with Brandon Sanderson. However, the story comes to an end so quickly it's unsatisfying.
A lot of things I wish would've been explained are left in the dark, most noticeably who is Melhi, how does he do what he does and who the hell are those Wodes.

All in all, a great story which could've been expanded to be made awesome.

Taking the holographic universe to very logical conclusions, or at least just adding a new spin to the Matrix, I thought this was a fairly interesting read only made better by the end message.

No spoilers, but it's kinda obvious from the start what the tale is about. It's telegraphed pretty heavily.

Still, there's a lot of great things about the novella, with good worldbuilding, a wide and sweeping grandiosity of scenes and settings that really makes this shine.

So what if I find the main character a bit of a blowhard and not very sympathetic? He's uber powerful but he still has to account for himself in the Wode. But to procreate? Oh my, this has just turned into a comedy.

And it is. From that point forward, the novel is a comedy, but show more only in the traditional sense, where lessons are learned and the MC moves forward, barely sidestepping tragedy by the grace of others.

Pretty cool, all told. A decent and quick tale.

It was nominated for 2016 Hugo for best Novella. show less

I normally love Sanderson but, honestly, this is the quintessential “will forget about it in a year.” I actually thought the premise of the story was an interesting one: humanity eventually moved itself into virtual worlds that are perfectly tailored for each individual. However, propagation of the species requires the occasional embodiment, so to speak. (As a side note, why? If you’ve got that kind of technology…) And, of course, this incarnation for purposes of hookup doesn’t go quite as planned.

It’s breezy and funny at times but, ultimately, bland and forgettable.

It was good, but oh man do I feel uncomfortable. Brandon read the first couple paragraphs of this at a signing last fall, but I was expecting more fantasy than sci-fi as the first twist came in about 20 pages into this 46 page novella.

And then...

Brains in jars! I sort of ship Kai with Melhi, but kind of don't!

It's short since it's a novella, but oooh, it's got more depth than some books I've read. DAMNIT, SANDERSON!